Truckee Tahoe community announcements

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Content for briefs is selected from e-mail submissions to Community Editor Amy Edgett at aedgett@sierrasun.com. Visit www.sierrasun.com to submit events for the online calendar. Please limit descriptions to 50 words. E-mail for print submissions may be 150-300 words. Items published in the print edition news space permitting.

New woodworking class

Custom Learning Academy is pleased to announced a new spring elective open to all high school students in the community (enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis with priority access given to full-time CLA students). The hands-on, interactive woodworking elective will be offered from late January through May 2013. The class will be taught by Mike Griffin, a licensed contractor and furniture maker in Hobart Mills.

Parents and students interested in learning more about woodworking elective are invited to attend an information session at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at CLA, 12716 Northwoods Blvd. in Tahoe Donner. All students in the community are welcome to enroll in the creative and innovative late afternoon class. Exact dates and times TBD. The cost for the class is $380. Call 530-587-5470 for more information.

Calling fiber and textile artists

The Truckee Public Arts Commission's winter exhibit at the TDRPD's Community Recreation Center will feature fiber and textile media. Artists of all ages will be considered for display. Quilters are also encouraged to apply. Submissions due Jan. 16, 2012. Guidelines and entry forms are available in the "Latest News" section at www.tdrpd.com. An opening reception will be held on Feb. 1, 5-7 p.m. at Community Recreation Center.

Party like it's SnowFest! fundraiser announced

Hacienda Del Lago will host the next North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association Business Mixer and the annual SnowFest! Fundraiser, "Party Like It's Snowfest!," Thursday, Jan. 17, 5-8 p.m. Hacienda Del Lago is located at 760 North Lake Blvd., Boatworks Mall, in Tahoe City.

Attendees can mix and mingle and trade beads all while enjoying live music, a taco bar, well drinks and more than 40 raffle prizes. The cost is $20 per person donation. SnowFest! is scheduled for March 1-10 and will take place at a variety of venues throughout the North Lake Tahoe region.

Ballinger is the founder and head guide of Alpenglow Expeditions, a guiding company focused on high-altitude climbing, trekking, and skiing. Adrian has guided multiple expeditions to five of the world's tallest peaks: Everest, Manaslu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Makalu.

In high altitude mountaineering, success and failure go hand in hand. 2011 saw a successful series of expeditions for Ballinger, including summits of Everest, Lhotse, and Manaslu - partners, logistics and conditions all fell in place. Adrian's last expedition of 2011, on Manaslu (26,759 ft), marked the first successful ski descent from the true summit of the mountain.

Next came 2012, and expeditions to Lohtse and Everest, where luck changed. Ultimately, Adrian's team left the mountains with no summits in the spring season, despite some great ski days.

Adrian will tell his story firsthand in his slideshow on Thursday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m., at Olympic Valley Lodge in Squaw Valley. Call 530-583-6917.

Ski or ride Tahoe Donner's Sunrise Bowl

Skiing or snowboarding Sunrise Bowl on Jan. 19 will be a great introduction for those interested in experiencing and learning to ride the backcountry. Tahoe Donner recommends having a shovel, beacon and probe for proper safety precautions. Purchase a Sunrise Bowl ticket on Jan. 19 from the Tahoe Donner Downhill ticket office, 11603 Snowpeak Way in Truckee, to ski or ride Sunrise Bowl 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The vertical drop from the top of Donner Ridge at Sunrise Bowl to Ski Slope Way at the water tower is 653 feet at elevation 7,825 feet. Current snow depth is a 65-85-inch base. Cost: $25 and includes bus and snowmobile transportation to the top. Call 530-587-9444 or email ski@tahoedonner.com. Visit www.tahoedonner.com/downhill-ski/events.

North Tahoe School to host National Geographic Bee

For the 25th year, the National Geographic Society is holding the National Geographic Bee for students in the fifth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across the United States. The 2013 Bee is sponsored by Google and will be take place at North Tahoe School on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Twelve students will compete in front of their peers to determine the North Tahoe School winner who will advance to the next level of competition through a written examination to determine state competitors. All school winners are eligible to win the national championship and its first prize, a $25,000 college scholarship, at the national competition May 20-22, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Truckee High School announces Poetry Out Loud contest

Truckee High School announces a school contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. The competition, presented in partnership with the Placer Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. On Jan. 23 at 3:30 p.m. at the THS auditorium, more than 15 students from Truckee High School will participate. The winner of this competition will advance to the regional Poetry Out Loud contest. The California State champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 29-30, 2013 in Washington, D.C., where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed. Attendance is free and open to the public. For further information, call Patrick Mooney at 530-582-2600, ext. 3307.

Squaw Valley Institute Queen of Hearts grant recipient

Squaw Valley Institute (SVI) was selected by Queen of Hearts Women's Fund members to receive a $10,000 grant. The Institute will utilize this money to bring affordably priced programming to the region and ultimately continue to develop intellectual discussion in the North Tahoe region.

"Having the vital group of local women behind Queen of Hearts support us is an incredible honor," said Renee Koijane, executive director of Squaw Valley Institute. "We are looking forward to putting these grant funds to use for the betterment of our region."

The Queen of Hearts Women's Fund was officially launched in February 2006. The goal was to identify 1,000 women to give a minimum of $1,000 and raise $1 million dollars within one year. To date, Queen of Hearts has raised $1.3 million and membership continues to grow. The most appealing benefit of joining the women's fund is that by giving collectively, the organization is able to make a bigger difference than individually.

SVI will host a lecture and book signing with Polyface farmer Joel Salatin, featured in Omnivore's Dilemma and Food, Inc. on Feb. 13.

Membership for individuals starts at $100, for member-only discounted ticket pricing, priority notification to all Institute events, along with priority seating. Business memberships start at $250 per year.

Frieda Klein to offer painting instruction

Frieda Klein is a local artist who has taught art for more than 35 years to both adults and children. She was on the Art Department faculty at Sierra Nevada College for 12 years.

Currently she is giving private painting classes that focus on painting for the experience instead of the result. This type of class encourages an individual approach to painting, which many students prefer. No previous painting experience is necessary.

A new six-week workshop will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 5:30-9 p.m., ending Feb. 26 in Frieda's studio, 140 Sierra Terrace Road in Tahoe City (one block east of the Safeway shopping center).

Tempera paint (opaque water color), brushes/tools, and paper are provided as well as a snack. Cost is $35 per session or $30 per session if six classes are paid in advance.

Frieda has had many one-person exhibits in galleries and museums, and has sold several hundred paintings over the past 38 years.

Tickets are valid for the week of Feb. 3-8. Tickets are on sale at the museum and www.kidzonemuseum.org. Cost is $30 tickets for current members and $30 tickets for those who purchase an Association of Children's Museum membership. Donate $1,000 dollars to the Museum and get 10 free Squaw tickets. The general public may purchase $50 tickets online. All tickets must be picked up at the museum including online sales. The KidZone Museum thanks Squaw Valley for their partnership and ticket donation.

KidZone Museum is a nonprofit children's museum in Truckee specializing in early learning though hands-on exhibits, science and art programs.

The museum is located at 11711 Donner Pass Road, in the big white tent. Call 530-587-KIDS (5437) for more information.

Squaw Valley Village Development Plan presentation rescheduled from December

A Squaw Valley event is scheduled on Jan. 26 for those who want to hear about the proposed Squaw Valley Village development. Jennifer Montgomery, Placer County supervisor, and Alex Fisch, county planner for the Squaw Valley Village Development, will present the process for approval of the development. Chevis Hosea, vice president of the Village Development at Squaw Valley, will discuss the current status of the proposed development plan. In addition, written comments to the county's NOP can be turned in to the county planners. The event, sponsored by the Squaw Valley Property Owners Association, is at the Olympic Village Lodge, 4-6 p.m. SVPOA members are free; others are $10. A no-host bar will be open after the presentations. All, especially those interested in the future of Squaw Valley, are urged to attend.

Tahoe Safe Alliance announces discounted Sugar Bowl lift tickets

The annual Tahoe SAFE Alliance Ski Day at Sugar Bowl is Sunday, Feb. 3. For more than 10 years Sugar Bowl has shown their support by donating all-day lift tickets to Tahoe SAFE Alliance. Sugar Bowl Ski Day tickets cost $35 - a huge savings. Enjoy some awesome skiing before the Super Bowl. Purchase your tickets at www.tahoesafealliance.org today! Tickets will be on sale until Friday, Feb. 1 or until supplies are out.

Tickets will be available for pick-up only on Feb. 3 at Sugar Bowl's Mt. Judah Lodge. For additional information contact 775-298-0010 or email kristy@tahoesafealliance.org. Tahoe SAFE Alliance is a nonprofit organization established in 1985 to reduce the incidence and trauma of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Visit www.tahoesafealliance.org.

Rotary to host Valentine Party and Crab Feed

Valentine Party and Crab Feed announced for Feb. 15, 6-8 p.m. The Rotary Club of Tahoe City will host an all-you-can eat crab feed Friday night at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach. Dinner will include fresh Bay Area Dungeness Crab, pasta, salad, bread and dessert. Cost is $45 adults and $20 children 14 and under. For tickets (limited) mail check made out to Rotary to Mike Baffone, P.O. Box 218, Kings Beach, CA, 96143 or call 530-546-0378.